As E3 slowly approaches, I've been thinking a lot about what the next Zelda could be like. A while ago I posted about how I'm essentially a complete loss when it comes to what I think is likely, since all of the things preceding this next Zelda are coming from all different directions, being SS, tWWHD and aLBW, all VERY different Zelda games that all could influence the next Zelda some way or another.

So I'm curious to know what reasonable predictions people have that they wouldn't be all that happy about if they came true. Here's some of mine:

A child-like style
Don't get me wrong: I love tWW. It's probably my second favorite Zelda. But after seeing SM3DW and Mario Kart 8, I know what Nintendo is capable of graphically on the Wii U. And while I know the added power of the Wii U could yield a really fantastic whimsical style, I don't think this Zelda is the time to do so, and I don't think it's what Nintendo needs to do right now, with the Wii U underselling so much. The fact is, a slightly darker take on Zelda sells better, and even if the style skews cel-shading, if it's something more grown-up, it'll have a better chance at appealing to a lot of the demographic that isn't interested in the Wii U right now.

A Top-Down Zelda
This is a more radical prediction, but I don't think it's outside of the realm of possibility. The "back to roots" nature of aLBW (and even SM3DW in some respects) makes me think some sort of hybridization of 3D and classic Zelda sensibilities is possible. And while I know that approach has potential, it's not something I'm personally wanting from Zelda's first foray into HD. I'd prefer they try something like that on 3DS before considering it for a console title, much like SM3DL was a precursor for 3DW.

How about you guys. Anything in the realm of possibility that you don't want?

It sounds silly since people are wanting more uses out of the gamepad (including Nintendo), but I'm really hoping that its use doesn't stray too far off into gimmick land and stays relatively close to how it was used in WWHD. If the screen is just used as an inventory, map, etc., that's a great but simple use for it. Add some gyro controls for aiming too? Great. If they make the game like Skyward Sword where, instead of the Wiimote, they use the gamepad for almost every controllable thing in the game, I won't be happy in the least bit.

Nintendo will do something else that disregards or complicates the continuity of past games
This is all but a given (though I know it's not really the type of prediction you're asking for). Granted, they side-stepped it in ALBW for the most part by just having all of the major pieces of lore in that game having nothing to do with anything that had come before, but there were still small things like the Master Sword being removed from its pedestal despite supposedly being laid to rest forever, and they slightly devalued the importance of the Triforce by inventing another one and vastly complicated the idea of parallel universes in the Zelda series because of how they handled Lorule... But SS was even worse with the introduction of Hylia and Demise, the Master Sword's origins entirely conflicting with everything we had been told beforehand, and a lot of other stuff I won't get into. ST also complicated things by just being extremely vague about important stuff regarding the story like why Malladus needed a vessel from Old Hyrule, why Malladus could only be revived in spirit and not in body, how he was able to be revived since the tracks and tower binding him never completely went away, who it was living in this land when Malladus first attacked, what the name of this new land is... PH is the last game we got that didn't negatively effect the continuity of the series at all (unless you believe Linebeck is a native to the spirit realm, which would mean his appearance in the Light World at the end of the game complicates things, or you think the Wind Fish and Ocean King must somehow be related, which might complicate things too).

Link will use the Master Sword again
I'm ready for the sword to take a nice, long break. Ganondorf had his break, so I'm at the point where I wouldn't mind seeing him come back now (though I'm not actively desiring his return yet), but the Master Sword really needs to take a break of its own. It's rarely the most powerful blade in the games that it does appear in, and the Silver Arrows are able to actually kill Ganon, where as the only time the Master Sword has been able to kill Ganon is when he is a mortal human unprotected by any outside magical influence... The fanbase has built up the sword so much despite the fact that it really doesn't have that purported level of importance to the series. Give us another important recurring sword or bring back one of the past swords like the Magical Sword, the Gilded Sword, the Great Fairy's Sword, the Phantom Sword... (despite my wish, I can't bring myself to be at all excited by the prospect of the Lokomo Sword returning; I'll take any of the others though).

The game will take place in Hyrule
As much as I'd love to see Hyrule in HD, I'd love even more to explore a brand new land mass. We haven't had this opportunity since the Oracles if you really think about it... Everything else has been in Hyrule or a segmented and/or not-very-explorable land/series of islands. Leaving Hyrule would give Nintendo a chance to do anything they wanted with the geography, the people, the races, the technology, the lore, the timeline, etc. No constraints. Granted, maybe it would be better for Nintendo if they had some limitations put in place to help guide them along, but if they do stay out of Hyrule, this also feeds into prediction number 1 on my list as they would be less able to screw anything up in the process.

Link will be the only playable character
I won't be terribly disappointed if this ends up being the case, but I loved playing as a Deku, Goron, and Zora in MM (yeah, that was still technically Link, but they didn't play like Link, which I guess is what I'm getting at), and I loved the dungeon in PH where you got to play as a Goron. I also kind of liked playing as Zelda in ST. Medli and Makar weren't as fun as the rest of these, but they still showed promise and weren't entirely annoying. There's a lot of potential in the idea of playing as non-Hylians, or even just taking on the role of someone other than Link for a little while, but since less than a quarter of Zelda games have done this, it's probably not very likely that Zelda Wii U will.

Okay imma spitball. I think Nintendo will want to make a Zelda game that really shows off the Wii U; I'm talking GamePad use (They'll probably overuse it though knowing Ninty), awesome graphics and a satisfying difficulty with 2 difficulty modes based off recent games. I think the art style will be reminiscent of the E3 2011 demo (Geez that was 3 years ago...), perhaps more colourful and bolder than it. Gameplay will use the GamePad like I said, there will most likely be motion control use for most of the items whereas sword combat is via the good ol' B button, perhaps a fighting system similar to WWHD and TP. The overworld will be A LOT less linear than SS, taking cues from ALBW. There will be an epic sense of scale and a big map to explore. I don't trust Nintendo to make many interesting NPC interactions but there will be a good few. Then you have your usual side quest like the fetch-quests and mini games and stuff. I haven't got much a clue about the story, I suppose Ganon will be back, Zelda will get kidnapped and Link will save the day but I'd like to think something will be changed up a little. And there will be Miiverse stuff similar to WWHD and more.

The following would disappoint me:1. Link gathers 3 macguffins in order to gain access to the Master Sword, followed by some Triforce related plot-point, followed by more macguffin collection, followed by a climactic confrontation between the trio in which Link and Zelda defeat Ganon in order to restore peace to Hyrule.

...seriously, new stories, please. One of the reasons I like the Oracle games is, despite including many of the standard plot elements of a Zelda game (Zelda, Hyrule, Ganon, triforce references), they were determined to build their own story and world. And one of the reasons I love Majora's Mask is it took the risk of not including many of these elements at all beyond a brief reference. I don't want to return to Death Mountain to enter Goron City again, I want to explore new lands and adventures with new challenges.

The only exception to this complaint would be if it used the standard set-up purposefully, to give you certain expectations, only to subvert those expectations in some clever, major way.

2. Showcasing new gameplay mechanics with serious untapped potential, only for the game to not fully flesh them out or explore them in any real depth. I would love to see the gameplay grow and enter new territory, but I fear any attempts at doing so will be rushed and ultimately unfinished when the game is released.

Something that would drastically upset me is, at the samr time, a most probable outcome.

An older Link: I feel it's time Nintendo really utilizes current gaming technology and returns back to its roots. I want to see a young Link, a child, take on Ganon in a gorgeous HD presentation.

Something else that would disappoint me wuld be if Nintendo went on the route of making the story line deviate from the traditional legend. Like I said, I think it's time Nintendo told the Legend of Zelda in today's world of gaming. We don't need a sub title or a theme with this game, we need the true legend and only the true legend. The game should just be called "The Legend of Zelda". It should be a complete updated reboot.

This thread is a great case study of the impossible odds Nintendo faces in pleasing its crowd. Some of us would be disappointed by major classic features returning, and others will be disappointed if they don't.

My biggest realistic fear is that the game won't feature stuff that seems like no-brainer, such as

-Writing notes on the map using the gamepad (I know I would love this feature after having it in the DS games)
-Difficulty settings available before beating the game rather than after (WWHD allowed this, yet LBW didn't so it's hard to say what will happen).
-An in-game device for tracking sidequests, like the bombers notebook from Majora's Mask. (this one is less of a no-brainer, but I still consider it a must and am let down each time it is omitted).

I don't want a sparsely populated world of NPCs who just stand around and do virtually nothing. The world should be dynamic and alive. That doesn't mean the NPCs and environment have to undergo random processes, but behaviors should be elaborate enough to allow emergent properties to arise.

The game will follow a predictable pattern

If by the second or third temple I can already roughly tell what the formulaic progression will be, then there's no more anticipation for forthcoming events. The excitement factor just gets thrown out the window. The ability to progress through the temples in any order the player chooses is a good first step in breaking down the predictable formula, but they could go a step further. If the game made it ambiguous about where to find temples, or even recognize temples as such, then the necessity to explore and discover would be given back to the player.

Items will be used in the traditional way

How many of us here still think getting the bomb bag is exciting? If you're at all familiar with Zelda, then as soon as you get any item, you're already 99% sure what you can do with it and how you'll end up using it. Even with the more exotic items of the more recent games, the novelty wears off very quickly. After some short experimentation, it becomes apparent that the new item is basically a re-skinned item from a previous game with a very similar function. I could be alone in this one, but at this point, I pretty much just expect that all the items will be nothing more than tools to allow me to get through a dungeon. Items could be treasures that open up new possibilities for gameplay and exploration, but I just don't perceive them that way anymore.

The incentive to explore will be minimal

I could go on for pages and pages on exploration, but I'll make it quick. I want to traverse forests, cross rapids, climb mountain peaks, etc. I want to be able to navigate the world my own way, and make my own decisions on how to reach a destination. I want to literally create my own trails and go anywhere. This is the kind of thing that can get to the heart of Zelda, but I don't see it happening.

This thread is a great case study of the impossible odds Nintendo faces in pleasing its crowd. Some of us would be disappointed by major classic features returning, and others will be disappointed if they don't.

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Haha, tell me about it. That being said, even if the things I mentioned do happen, I don't imagine those things will outweigh the exciting new stuff they'll bring to the table. Even Skyward Sword, despite the flaws I see in the game, was an exceedingly fun experience for me. I think one of the cool things about the Zelda franchise is that, despite the nitpicks, every Zelda game is still pretty dang awesome. Our spectrum of "bad-to-good" for Zelda lives comfortably between "average" and "amazing" on the standard video game spectrum of quality... at least in my eyes.

The removal of great features SS introduced or reintroduced, such as stamina meter, shield gauge, parry, limited item pouches, upgrade system, etc. It would seem plenty of more simple minded people want Zelda to be just as boring as they are and I wouldn't put it past Nintendo to cater to them yet again.

This thread is a great case study of the impossible odds Nintendo faces in pleasing its crowd. Some of us would be disappointed by major classic features returning, and others will be disappointed if they don't.

My biggest realistic fear is that the game won't feature stuff that seems like no-brainer, such as

-Writing notes on the map using the gamepad (I know I would love this feature after having it in the DS games)
-Difficulty settings available before beating the game rather than after (WWHD allowed this, yet LBW didn't so it's hard to say what will happen).
-An in-game device for tracking sidequests, like the bombers notebook from Majora's Mask. (this one is less of a no-brainer, but I still consider it a must and am let down each time it is omitted).

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The reason they omit that device is because no game was able to stand up to the excellence of MM's side quests. Whether it be the depth of them or the quantity, MM has done side quest gaming the best in all of video game history, not just Zelda. The use of a Bomber's Notebook esque item in a game like TP or SS would seem like a stretch. I WISH it made a return, but Nintendo needs to work on creating more side stories that branch away from the main story, yet are still relevant. I could be wrong though, I honestly do not remember very well just how many side quests were in TP.

But take WW for example: the use of the sea charts was equal to MM's Bomber's Notebook. WW's version of sidequests was done through the sea maps and an in depth treasure hunt. IMO, it was very redundant (but still fun) after a while, but besides that, it constituted the use of the maps. I still think MM did this the absolute best, despite WW's effort. For obvious reasons... such as the emotion of the characters, the story in which you learn new things, and being able to obtain items through them. I fucking love MM.

Let's face it, no one really cares about the fucking gamepad right now, they just want a kickass Zelda game, no gimmicks. We haven't had a gimmick-free Zelda for way too long now (okay I guess ALBW). My fear is that Nintendo will present the new Zelda game, and proceed to talk it up by saying "look at how you use the gamepad to do things you can't do on any other system!"

Fuck that. I don't care if you do use the gamepad, but seriously, they need to sell Zelda on all the things it can do because of the additional power of the Wii U, not because of the Gamepad. You have a great video card for dynamic lighting finally, sell us on a dark Zelda. Sell us on physics-based puzzles. Sell us on layered animations that you couldn't do with the Wii. Sell us on a gigantic, seamless world with few load times that increases immersion. Yes, I'm telling Nintendo to sell us mostly on the graphics and immersion. It'll work far better than a fucking gimmick.

They have it, sort of. Dragon in Chief. The Dragon-in-Chief serves as the de facto Big Bad of the story. Though he's nominally subordinate to the "real" Big Bad, he's just so much smarter, stronger or more skillful (and almost always scarier) that it's clear who's really the bigger menace.

Sounds like Zant, and even Ghirahim. Hijacked by Ganon is a cooler name, though.

They have it, sort of. Dragon in Chief. The Dragon-in-Chief serves as the de facto Big Bad of the story. Though he's nominally subordinate to the "real" Big Bad, he's just so much smarter, stronger or more skillful (and almost always scarier) that it's clear who's really the bigger menace.

Sounds like Zant, and even Ghirahim. Hijacked by Ganon is a cooler name, though.

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Actually there is a trope called Hijacked by Ganon. I hope its still the namer unless they changed it as they have been avoiding character name trope namers. It was inspired due to Zant.

To be honest, this is one instance where I'd be disappointed if this didn't happen. With all the talk of different playable characters, and the general fanservice that the game seems intent on providing, I think it would be pretty weird if he didn't turn up somewhere.

Touch controls return too much or not at all- either the gamepad gets no uses carried over from the DS Zeldas (no bombchus, boomerang, and writing on the map) or they make the game have too much, or, *shudders* complete touch controls a la the DS Zeldas

To be honest, this is one instance where I'd be disappointed if this didn't happen. With all the talk of different playable characters, and the general fanservice that the game seems intent on providing, I think it would be pretty weird if he didn't turn up somewhere.

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I'd rather see Ganon turn up as a playable character against Cia and the others.

1. Miyamoto announces his retirement - You know its going to happen someday

2. Majora's Mask Remake - Its my favorite game, its already perfect, please don't change anything at all about it. I don't want Tatl telling me to replace the batteries or take a break every once in a while a minute before the moon impacts.

3. A game where Link travels around on something that is not Epona - No more boats, no more trains, no more giant birds, just give me a cool horse.

2. Majora's Mask Remake - Its my favorite game, its already perfect, please don't change anything at all about it. I don't want Tatl telling me to replace the batteries or take a break every once in a while a minute before the moon impacts.

3. A game where Link travels around on something that is not Epona - No more boats, no more trains, no more giant birds, just give me a cool horse.

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I strongly agree with #3, but strongly disagree with #2. I haven't finished Majora's Mask and I'm holding out for a remake.

I like this. Nintendo will most likely go for a more realistic graphical style given the reasons you already stated above. Plus, darker & for my personal tastes, more violent content. Make a sequel to OoT & MM, dammit!! First M-rated Zelda, too. It would unveil another one of those E3 2004s. Don't take it the wrong approach...I'm not endorsing the commonly anti-intellectually stimulating M-rated mainstream titles. I want it just as artistic as the M-rated RE4 and Eternal Darkness & just as grand & epic as Shadow of the Colossus.

I like this. Nintendo will most likely go for a more realistic graphical style given the reasons you already stated above. Plus, darker & for my personal tastes, more violent content. Make a sequel to OoT & MM, dammit!! First M-rated Zelda, too. It would unveil another one of those E3 2004s. Don't take it the wrong approach...I'm not endorsing the commonly anti-intellectually stimulating M-rated mainstream titles. I want it just as artistic as the M-rated RE4 and Eternal Darkness & just as grand & epic as Shadow of the Colossus.

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I'll be honest, I actually think that Nintendo needs an M-rated Zelda right now. It's not necessarily something I want, or many fans want, but I think in the grand scheme of OMG NINTENDOOMED it would really help the company pull in some huge console sales and bring back a lot of people that have moved on.

I like this. Nintendo will most likely go for a more realistic graphical style given the reasons you already stated above. Plus, darker & for my personal tastes, more violent content. Make a sequel to OoT & MM, dammit!! First M-rated Zelda, too. It would unveil another one of those E3 2004s. Don't take it the wrong approach...I'm not endorsing the commonly anti-intellectually stimulating M-rated mainstream titles. I want it just as artistic as the M-rated RE4 and Eternal Darkness & just as grand & epic as Shadow of the Colossus.

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I'll be honest, I actually think that Nintendo needs an M-rated Zelda right now. It's not necessarily something I want, or many fans want, but I think in the grand scheme of OMG NINTENDOOMED it would really help the company pull in some huge console sales and bring back a lot of people that have moved on.

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I don't see that ever happening, and I don't even think it would boost console sales. Personally, I wouldn't mind something like that, but only if it was done perfectly. I don't even need blood, but violence should be more impactful. I don't care if enemies are bone dry, but your sword should puncture and dismember what it stabs and slices.

I'd also like to cut off the heads of slain enemies and dangle them from Epona's neck, but that's pushing it. Unfortunately, killing enemies is going to feel just like the previous games I think.

How did you find anime characters being dismembered without 47 gallons of blood spewing out?

Also, dismemberment might make combat way too easy, unless it's like a death animation. Maybe even a good way to get collectables like the lizard tails, monster claws and such from SS. Sadly, if they allow dismemberment, I could see it being a stalfos only thing. Knocking their heads/arms/legs off only to have them try to reattach the body parts in the same way the stalfos skulls will hop around in TWW.

lol it's great isn't it? When I first saw that film those scenes made a big impression on me. The violence was very well done, and I remember being intrigued enough by it that I still thought about those scenes after the movie was over. It was so cartoony, but it captured the essence of a hero committing violence against brutes. It was quick, necessary, and straight forward. They exhibited the killings in such a way that they made the violence "accessible" if that makes sense. I was very impressed by them not including blood, and I almost immediately wanted to see something like that in a Zelda game.

I agree with you that dismemberment could make combat way too easy, but I think this could be alleviated with enemy's armor being crucial to their survival. In this case, whenever you see an enemy don helmet and shield, you know it's to protect themselves from your blade. I also think being more deliberate with your side slashes and downward swipes could force you to put alittle more effort into combat, when your enemy is well armored, and they're defensively blocking and parrying depending on what swing you use, it'll be harder to simply dismember anyone in your path with one or two button presses. Then each confrontation you walk away from could feel like a small victory.

Also, why were those pictures I posted removed? Who edited them out? Was anyone offended by them?

I really just hope Nintendo is able to differentiate between what did and didn't work in Skyward Sword, and they apply that to their next game. For one thing I hope they don't end up created another broken-up overworld with uninteresting geography. It's one of the reasons I don't have as much fun with Skyward Sword as I feel I should be.

lol it's great isn't it? When I first saw that film those scenes made a big impression on me. The violence was very well done, and I remember being intrigued enough by it that I still thought about those scenes after the movie was over. It was so cartoony, but it captured the essence of a hero committing violence against brutes. It was quick, necessary, and straight forward. They exhibited the killings in such a way that they made the violence "accessible" if that makes sense. I was very impressed by them not including blood, and I almost immediately wanted to see something like that in a Zelda game.

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Miyazaki is very much against utilizing cheap violence and such in his movies. Princess Mononoke is the most violent of his films, and even then he made sure to avoid cheap spectacles like gushing blood and glorified violence. He tends to be very critical of the trends of contemporary anime; power worship and excessive violence are among two of the biggest offenders to him. He treated the concepts of war and battle with the utmost respect in Princess Mononoke, and it's one of the reasons that Mononoke is as great as it is.

Also, it's worth noting that blood is by no means absent from that movie either, it's just used when necessary. It's particularly present when San is introduced and when Ashitaka gets shot, two very important moments in the film.

I can go on and on about Miyazaki's work, but this is a Zelda thread. Although while we're on the topic, it would be amazing to see a Ghibli-produced Zelda movie. They're one of the few studios I trust to handle something like Zelda.

I really just hope Nintendo is able to differentiate between what did and didn't work in Skyward Sword, and they apply that to their next game. For one thing I hope they don't end up created another broken-up overworld with uninteresting geography. It's one of the reasons I don't have as much fun with Skyward Sword as I feel I should be.

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That brings me to a prediction for the thread: they'll do the opposite of what you said. People complained about the sailing in TWW, so they made it worse in PH. Then did it again with ST by limiting you to the train rails.

Also, it's worth noting that blood is by no means absent from that movie either, it's just used when necessary. It's particularly present when San is introduced and when Ashitaka gets shot, two very important moments in the film.

I can go on and on about Miyazaki's work, but this is a Zelda thread. Although while we're on the topic, it would be amazing to see a Ghibli-produced Zelda movie. They're one of the few studios I trust to handle something like Zelda.

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I think that's why I found it so impactful, that what is arguably the most violent scene in the movie has no blood. I remember thinking how much I wanted that feeling incorporated into a game.

I've had the same thought as you about Studio Ghibli doing a Zelda movie. They would be the perfect match, and they're the only studio that would do Zelda justice.

Sorry for the double post, but something else just came up as I was watching some Zelda videos.

I've noticed a trend in Wii U Nintendo games where the developers have been putting an emphasis on providing realistic/extreme lighting effects where it doesn't exactly fit the style. So far I think Mario Kart 8 has handled it alright, but Super Mario 3D World and Wind Waker HD have suffered from the implementation of clashing lighting effects. Enhanced bloom lighting works fine when applied to a realistic art style, as shown in Pikmin 3, which is set in a realistic environment. But Mario and Wind Waker are by no means meant to be realistic in the slightest. I noticed how detrimental this could be when viewing this comparison between the original WW and WWHD. While certain effects ended up adding to the style in a positive way (the hard-edged dynamic shadows), much of the ambient lighting and bloom end up hampering the style and charm of the original. Not to mention many of the colors were made more bright and vivid, which also goes entirely against the more subdued, yet still pleasantly colorful style of the Gamecube game.

Super Mario 3D World, while not a remake of another game, is still plagued with this problem. I don't have a nifty comparison video to showcase the differences here, but I'll try my best to compare the visuals between SM3DW and the Galaxy games by style alone.

Here are some screens of the original Mario Galaxy. It's obvious in almost every shot of Mario Galaxy that a lot of effort was put into choosing the color pallet and design of each scene and environment. Everything seems to fit well together, and all of the elements have a consistent style that makes it seem like they exist together in the larger whole of the game's world. The lighting follows this trend by acting to imply shape, space, and texture, but doesn't intrude on the experience at all. This world is obviously not our own, but it never pretends to be. It knows that it is fictional and exaggerated, and it allows the player to become immersed in it. Then we have 3D World...

This game imposes realistic lighting over stylized characters and environments, resulting in screenshots that often look like dioramas featuring Mario characters. These two styles clash to create an admittedly interesting effect, but one that kills any of the immersion in the world. Suddenly you're more aware than ever that you're simply controlling character models that run and jump through plastic-looking environments. The disconnect is staggering, and it detracts from the experience immensely. The excessive bloom and artificial light sources (along with the standardized environmental elements) act against the game as a whole and are part of the reason why this game felt like such a step back from Galaxy 2. It also seems evident to me that the color pallet in most environments seems to have been dictated by the lighting engine and with much less actual effort from the art design team. In fact, I feel kinda bad for the concept artists behind the game, because I'm sure most of their artistic intentions were lost among the poor design choices by the rest of the dev team.

What we can all learn from this is that Nintendo is struggling to handle lighting effects properly in their HD games. It doesn't seem out of the realm of possibility that they may yet again misuse the lighting with Zelda Wii U. Whatever style they end up choosing for the next Zelda, it's very important that they make sure the lighting effects within the game compliment the style and the environments.

What we can all learn from this is that Nintendo is struggling to handle lighting effects properly in their HD games. It doesn't seem out of the realm of possibility that they may yet again misuse the lighting with Zelda Wii U. Whatever style they end up choosing for the next Zelda, it's very important that they make sure the lighting effects within the game compliment the style and the environments.

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I've been thinking that they might misuse lighting ever since the first screens for TWWHD were released.

And speaking of Zelda and Studio Ghibli. I don't want to see a movie from them. Princess Mononoke aside, their only good movies are Grave of the Fireflies and Whisper of the Heart. The Cat Returns is ok. Let Ghibli collaborate on a game and give us something like this:

If that first image had been there last time, I'd have recognized it. The only Miyazaki movie worth watching. Glad he's retired now.

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In all my years I don't think I've seen anybody take such a negative stance against Miyazaki. EVER. I think my brain is breaking.

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I really hate his style and how he absolutely butchered Howl's Moving Castle.

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Out of all the reasons I could possibly think of to criticize Miyazaki for, those are actually two of the most reasonable ones.

I've never read the series that Howl's Moving Castle was based on, but I remember being confused about the plot of the film after I first watched it and decided to look up the book on Wikipedia. Even from reading the basic synopsis, the book seemed much more cohesive and interesting on a storytelling level. That said, I still think Miyazaki accomplished what he had set out to do, and that was create his own kind of movie using the book as a starting point. And I think the film turned out beautifully, despite some plot inconsistencies and questionable character motivations. I can totally see how someone already familiar with the book would be disappointed though.

As for his style, I know it's totally subjective, but I couldn't disagree with you more on that front. I find his style extremely charming and appealing. I guess if there's anything bad to say about it it's that his human characters tend to look the same sometimes, but that's about it.

And speaking of Zelda and Studio Ghibli. I don't want to see a movie from them. Princess Mononoke aside, their only good movies are Grave of the Fireflies and Whisper of the Heart. The Cat Returns is ok.

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While I wouldn't say every Ghibli film is great, I'd certainly say they're all at least good. I think their typical animation style and tendency towards the fantastical would lend themselves well to Zelda. I don't exactly know who might be best to direct it though.

What we can all learn from this is that Nintendo is struggling to handle lighting effects properly in their HD games. It doesn't seem out of the realm of possibility that they may yet again misuse the lighting with Zelda Wii U. Whatever style they end up choosing for the next Zelda, it's very important that they make sure the lighting effects within the game compliment the style and the environments.

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I dunno, man, I loved the lighting effects in SM3DW for the very reason you described: it made them look like toys.

I personally have never been immersed by the visuals of a Mario game. =P But I thought it was a really fun effect to have them look like little figurines running around. I thought the feeling of playtime was appropriate, rather than trying to make it feel like I was personally in that world.

But I do agree with your stance on tWW's use of lighting. I feel like that game has a crisis of identity when it comes to shading style. The juxtaposition of the soft shading and the cel shading bothered me a tiny bit, but I got used to it. I don't think it's bad, per se, as it's simply a different style that gets created, but it's definitely not what the original tWW had going for it, and it would've been nice to see tWW's original style come through unadulterated. That being said, it probably would've been less impactful as a means to show off what the Wii U can do, but that game is already a bad example because of the low poly count on all the models.

But I think the lighting in this game will be great. I think if they were to simply repeat what they've been doing, it'd be more appropriate for Zelda than it has been for Mario.

Hijacked by Ganon has become a big one for me as time goes on because I hate seeing villains get sacrificed just so Ganon can have a cameo at the end of the game.

I'd be rather disappointed if we didn't see a descendant of Groose. He might be my favorite NPC of the series. Link pulls out the Master Sword and holds it in the air only to be blindsided by Groose the 3rd while Groose's them blares loudly and triumphantly as he makes off with the sword.

Hijacked by Ganon has become a big one for me as time goes on because I hate seeing villains get sacrificed just so Ganon can have a cameo at the end of the game.

I'd be rather disappointed if we didn't see a descendant of Groose. He might be my favorite NPC of the series. Link pulls out the Master Sword and holds it in the air only to be blindsided by Groose the 3rd while Groose's them blares loudly and triumphantly as he makes off with the sword.

I think the art style struck the right cord for me. Though it does seem like the art style is a bit divisive. However, I've come to the conclusion that there is no style for Zelda that would please everyone. The taste for art style in the fanbase is so fragmented. Some people want ultra realistic, some people want super whimsical.

I think this Zelda is realistic enough where it counts, but stylized enough that it'll stand the test of time. The lighting, particle effects, and subtle motions capture the essence of the real world and shed everything else for the sake of simplicity. A single screenshot of the game feels like a painting containing only the most essential strokes necessary to capture a feeling of realism in the shortest amount of time. No need to show pores on characters' faces or veins on all of the leaves of the trees.

Seriously, I could go on and on about what makes this everything Skyward Sword wishes it was. Though to be fair, SS was going for a more impressionist feeling, while Zelda U feels more a really tight digital concept art painting.